He seems taken with both daughters, especially the beautiful Irene. Later, Silas takes Penelope and Irene to see the plot on Beacon Street, where Tom Corey is introduced to the story as the son of a wealthy family in Boston. After he came back from service at Gettysburg, however, Silas was refreshed in energy and started over with both his marriage and the paint business. There is a brief exploration of Silas and Persis’ marriage, which began to fail after their son died and Silas went to war. A particularly harsh instance of this is when Persis refuses to go to the house after encountering Rogers there, since she views it as having been built off of Rogers' blood. Here and throughout the novel, Persis serves as a puritanical reminder to Silas of his wrongdoings regarding Rogers. Silas had earlier used Rogers’ money to start up his paint business, but he promptly dropped him when it became clear that Rogers did not have passion or belief in the paint. Rogers, his ex-partner in business, there. As the house begins to be built, Silas and Persis go to visit the site several times. It is evident from the beginning that the architect can manipulate Silas into spending ridiculous amounts of money if he only gets Silas to agree with all of his suggestions under the pretense of an aesthetic education. Eventually, they revolve to build on the Beacon Street lot, and they hire an architect. The reader witnesses Silas interacting with Persis, encouraging her to support his idea of building a new, more extravagant house on Beacon Street, where all of the wealthy people in Boston tend to build. Despite now having money, the Laphams know neither proper Boston social etiquette, nor what to buy or how to act. Silas and his wife Persis fell into new wealth after discovering a paint mine on their New England farm, after which they moved to Boston.

Silas has two daughters: the elder Penelope, who is level-headed and intelligent, and the younger Irene, who is emotionally frivolous yet domestically practical. The novel then continues with an introduction to Silas' background and family life, which sets up a parallel plot line regarding Lapham's private life that contrasts with the politics of his failing business. This interview serves as an introduction to and comment on Silas’ naïve but well-meaning attitude, as well as his boasting about the new money he has acquired from the paint business. The novel begins with Silas as the recipient of an interview with Bartley Hubbard, a popular yet morally dubious journalist. Moving from rural Vermont to Boston, a bustling port, Silas and his family must attempt to spend their newfound money in a way that conforms to society’s fashionable expectations. The story follows Silas Lapham, a materialistic businessman who obtained his wealth suddenly through the success of his paint business, based on a paint mine that he stumbled upon by accident.

The rise of silas lapham cliff notes